In 2006, Georgia Republican and Senate hopeful David Perdue said that the way to the large number of unemployed Americans needed to be dealt with at a “federal level” and could not be left to the states.
At a meeting of the Retail Industry Leaders Association in 2006, Perdue, then the CEO of Dollar General, lamented the high number of uninsured people, the Dallas Morning News and Retailing Today reported at the time.
“It’s a tragedy that so many people are uninsured,” Perdue said of health insurance, according to a Dallas Morning News article from Oct. 17, 2006.
“The solution has to be at the federal level,” he said, according to a Retailing Today article from November 6, 2006. “If it’s left up to the states, there will be 50 different solutions.”
Now, Perdue is a candidate for the U.S. Senate, and he is advocating full repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which was intended to do exactly that: provide a “federal level” solution to get more Americans health insurance.
Perdue campaign spokesman Derrick Dickey said there was no tension between the two positions.
“David supports the full repeal of Obamacare. However, he along with many other Republicans recognize that there are issues that must be addressed at the federal level,” Dickey said in a statement to The Daily Caller. “For example, Georgia Congressman Dr. Tom Price has a great patient-centered alternative to replace Obamacare.”
Since he entered the primary in February, Perdue has made a big made media buy to get his name out there, and will likely benefit from good name identification — he is the first cousin of former Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue. He faces Republican Reps. Jack Kingston, Phil Gingrey, and Paul Broun, as well as former Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel.
The primary is set for May 20. The winner will likely face Democrat Michelle Nunn.